Ricky and Conrad Morales were brothers that were born into a family and system that practically guaranteed that they never stood a chance. They were born to a drug addicted mother who sold drugs to support her habit. Their young childhood was one that was filled with drug abusers, drug deals, violence, SWAT teams, Child Protective Services, extreme physical abuse and neglect. They and their siblings were in and out of protective custody by CPS constantly.

When their mother, Rosa Morales, was sentenced to prison on drug charges, she sent 13-year old Conrad to live with her brother, Raul, a convicted felon, and his lovely wife Cathy Sarinana (aren’t they a handsome couple) who were living in Randle, Washington at the time. 10-year old Ricky was sent to live with her mother. Ricky did not do well with Grandma, telling a trusted teacher, “my life is not worth living,” and writing “die Ricky, die” on his arm. The school, fearing that a 10-year old was suicidal (gee, ya think?) notified Child Protective Services, who had Ricky admitted to a psychiatric facility for treatment. He was placed under the supervision of social worker, Elia Godinez . By this time, Rosa had been released from prison but was in no position to reclaim Ricky or Conrad. According to Rosa, the social worker told her, “Conrad seems to be doing fine in Washington, so why don’t you send Ricky to Washington, too? You’ve got one week to send him to Washington or I’m going back to court, and your kids are going back into foster care.’ “In hindsight, it would have been in the best interest of these children for the social worker to have done her job and sent the case back to family court. But instead, Ricky was sent to live with Uncle Raul and Aunt Cathy. Well gee willakers, if Grandma was bad do you think Uncle Raul was any better?

At first, things seemed to be going well with this newly created family. Raul reported to his family that both boys were excelling in school, getting good grades, making friends and playing on the local sports teams. He wove a tale that painted an idyllic life with the boys prospering and flourishing in their new home. But soon the family would learn that it had all been a monstrous lie.

Within a few months, neighbors, police, and the boys’ sister reported that both Conrad and Ricky were being physically and sexually abused. Even though Ricky was never enrolled in school, Conrad was. Classmates reported that Conrad started wearing make up to hid the bruises and complained about his uncle “hurting him.” After local police notified Washington Child Protective Services, they opened an investigation only to close the investigation and call the allegations unfounded. Life for these brothers continued as normal; a living hell.

When their mother, Rosa Morales, finally was ready to bring the boys’ home to California, Raul made excuses. He said he couldn’t afford the airfare. When the boys’ mother pressed the issue in October of 2005, Raul and Cathy reported that Conrad, had run away from home. They said that he had been acting out and had become a discipline problem both at home and at school. They awoke one morning to find Conrad had disappeared. Raul claimed that they were frantically searching for Conrad, but that it would be difficult because Conrad had run away with an older gay lover (remember folks, he’s 13-years old). He told the family that Cathy was so distraught he was sending her and their two young children (yikes, they breed) to live with her sister in Sacramento, California in October of 2005. But Raul vowed not to leave Washington without Conrad. But both Raul and Cathy told social services that Conrad had been sent to live with a different relative out of state. Again, social services closed the investigation.

Ricky and Conrad’s aunt, Berta Cervallos, went to the address that Raul had given in Sacramento on Christmas Eve, 2005 to visit with the boys. She discovered that Raul had given them a fake address. On Christmas morning, Ricky called the Cervallos home and begged to be allowed to return. The family began to make plans for Ricky to return home. Sadly, it would all be in vain. On the evening of December 25, 2005 when most children have played themselves out with their new toys and stuffed themselves with Christmas cookies and food, Ricky Morales lay dying in a closet. Not that Raul or Cathy could be bothered with a little thing like Ricky dying. No, they sat down with family and friends for a Christmas feast while Ricky died from massive internal injuries.

According to Raul Sarinana, it began simply enough – Ricky complained of not feeling well (after a severe beating) and refused to eat his dinner. Cathy was appalled and offended that Ricky would refuse her delectable cuisine. For punishment, Raul ordered Ricky to clean the apartment’s bathroom. It appears that Ricky was not working fast enough for Raul’s liking, so he kicked him. Ricky vomited and Raul kicked him again. Not satisfied, Raul kicked the 11-year old boy a third time. Then he dragged the boy into the bedroom and threw him in the feces strewn closet, where he repeatedly kicked and stomped the boy as Ricky tried to escape. Then he slammed the door and went to eat his Christmas dinner. He’s just Father Christmas isn’t he?

When Cathy went to check on Ricky hours later, she found him dead. Frightened, she called the police. Ricky was pronounced dead on December 25, 2005. On December 26, 2005, both she and Raul were brought in for questioning by Corona police. Raul admitted to disciplining Ricky, but never meant to hurt him. Right. Kicking, punching and stomping on an 11-year old boy is a common discipline practice. Both were promptly arrested.

The police were then notified that there was another brother, who just happened to be missing. They returned to the Sarinana home, and found the body of 13-year old Conrad. It had been stuffed inside of a trash can that was covered in plastic and duct tape then encased in concrete and stored on the carport of their Corona home. Raul admitted that Conrad died after a round of ‘discipline’ on or about August 22, 2005. After the family began to become suspicious, he told authorities that they came up with the story of the older gay lover to cover up the murder. When the family moved from Washington to California, they brought Conrad with them (sick fucks, ain’t they?). It was around this time that they began to think about the necessity of killing Ricky as he had witnessed the murder of his brother.

The autopsy of Ricky showed a history of severe abuse including old fractures, bruises, contusions and what appeared to be cigarette burns over his entire body. Riverside County deputy medical examiner Dr. Mark Fajardo, also found “multiple external traumatic injuries,” according to a pretrial brief filed by the prosecution. “Scars on Ricky’s body were consistent with being whipped with an electrical cord or similar instrument,” the brief states. “Ricky’s scrotum was damaged with a penetrating laceration (oh dear God), and his scrotal sac was severely damaged… There were multiple scars to Ricky’s scalp, primarily centered on the back of his head. He had a severe infection on the back of his legs. Finally, there were multiple circular injuries consistent with cigarette burns located throughout Ricky’s body that were determined to be at least several weeks, if not several months, old.”

Witnesses reported that they had seen both Raul and Cathy abuse Ricky. Cathy was reported to have treated Ricky as a personal slave ordering him to clean up after her and her children. Police and neighbors say the boys grew thin, while the Sarinanas and their two children showed no signs of undernourishment (duh, did you see the pictures of them). No autopsy reports were available for Conrad, but it is a safe bet that his body had the same evidence of abuse that Ricky’s had.

Both Raul and Cathy were charged with first-degree murder, and child endangerment with a special circumstance of inflicting torture in the death of Ricky. Cathy has claimed that she is suffered from “battered wife syndrome” and had no knowledge of mistreatment or abuse of either Ricky or Conrad. Though Raul has admitted to administering the beating that led to Ricky’s death, he claims that the death was unintentional and an accident. The jury did not buy their lame excuses. Both were convicted of first-degree murder and the jury recommended the death penalty. They will return to court in June 2009 to be formally sentenced. Washington is currently planning on charging both for the murder of Conrad.

The lives and deaths of Ricky and Conrad Morales is a sad commentary on the current state of Child Protective Services. Two states, California and Washington both failed to protect these children. Even after multiple complaints of abuse and neglect, time after time CPS failed to take appropriate action. The end result - two dead boys. Neither child should have been placed with the Sarinanas. Vanessa Gallardo, the boy’s sister constantly fought to gain custody of her brothers. She loved them and feared for their safety. But she was rebuffed by the system even though she has no criminal record, is a technical school graduate and gainfully employed. She has struggled to set an example for her siblings on how to lead a productive life. Now, she must live with the knowledge that her brothers were tortured and murdered by their own family. She said of the Sarinanas, “they deserve the death penalty. I still think they are getting off easy with the death penalty, the way my brothers were tortured for so long. But to me, they (the Sarinanas) aren’t even family. I don’t feel bad for them.”

I pray that both Ricky and Conrad have finally found the peace and love that they so desperately missed. May they rest in peace. I also pray that California brings back the gas chamber for these two pieces of trash. Lethal injection is too good for them. Put up the pictures of Ricky and Conrad in front of them so that the last thing they see are the smiling faces of the beautiful brothers that they robbed the world of, and let them be conscious in the end. I hope they rot in hell.